Generally, a web site is an arrangement of content, e.g., text, images, and sound, on a set of web pages configured for presentation over a computer network in a predetermined way. The content appearing on a web page is generally stored in a centralized location, such as, e.g., a database or a set of files. Requests for web pages are processed by a web server, which is a server that transmits web pages in response to HTTP requests from web browsers. Centralizing the storage of the web content found on web pages facilitates its transmission by the web server because the web content is in a known location that is readily available.
Web sites have become more complex as their application has spread. Web sites have proven to be a valuable means of communication both with the public (e.g., a corporate web site) and in private use (i.e., an Intranet site). In either case, it is advantageous to display content with as much breadth and depth as possible to maximize the utility of the web site to its users. However, as web content becomes more complex and diverse, the amount of time, money, and effort in obtaining, storing, and updating the web content increases.
More recently, portal web sites have been used to deliver complex and diverse content over a computer network. A portal web site is a web site containing one or more portlets displayed on a web page. A portlet is a configurable content area displayable on a web page that provides content or performs one or more associated functions. Portlets may display content that is obtained from sources external to the web server. For example, a portal web site may use an arrangement of portlets to display web content on different subject areas. The web content for each of the subject areas need not be stored centrally, but rather may be stored in a plurality of locations accessible to the portlet. Each portlet is configured such that it may display the information it obtains to the web browser.
An existing problem with this approach is that developing portal web sites still requires a significant investment of time, money, and effort. This is due, in part, to the cost of supporting the hardware and software necessary to support a portal web site and the computer specialists required to manage the portal web site. Further, constructing a portal web site from scratch is a time and labor intensive process. These associated costs often prohibit those without significant resources from building or using a portal web site. Unfortunately, there is no current solution in the art to create and deploy portal web sites without incurring these costs.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved method and system for portal web site generation. In an embodiment of the present invention, preference data is collected from a user of the portal web site. The preference data identifies a set of user preferences about the appearance and operation of a portal web site. The preference data is stored, and a portal web site is generated based upon the preference data. In an embodiment, the portal web site is generated entirely within the database. In another embodiment, seed data, which is data that identifies an initial appearance and operation of the portal web site, may be stored. Seed data may be used to efficiently store the preference data. Further details of aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described below in the detailed description, drawings, and claims.